Land Rover has put the Defender Wolf Series II into the Land Rover military vehicle contract race for the MOD, ending the Wolf’s run as the Light Mobility Vehicle and replacing it with a new military-focused Defender built from D7X architecture. The vehicle is headed for the MOD tender, with the decision still to come.
Patrick McGillycuddy said the Defender Wolf Series II is the company’s next generation military vehicle and a light mobility solution for people and equipment transportation. He said: “The Defender Wolf Series II is our next generation military vehicle. British-designed and engineered with pioneering off-road technologies and an engine built in Wolverhampton. The Defender Wolf Series II is intended as a light mobility solution for people and equipment transportation for the defence sector.”
Defender Wolf Series II and MOD
Land Rover said the Wolf Series II has been developed through more than 60,000 tests. It said the chassis and body can now withstand JLR’s Extreme Event Test procedure, and the vehicle has already been taken to the MOD’s off-road facility. In that test, the Wolf was the only vehicle in attendance to navigate all obstacles.
The tender matters because the MOD is looking at a replacement for the Light Mobility Vehicle, and Ineos has already entered the competition with its Grenadier MRLV. The Wolf Series II will now compete on the same ground, where specification will shape the outcome more than branding. A vehicle built for rough use still has to meet the MOD’s requirements in full before it can win the contract.
Defender Defence Division
Land Rover has also established a Defender Defence Division alongside the new model. The division said it will engage with and support the requirements of other defence organisations, which points to a wider military sales effort beyond this single tender. Patrick McGillycuddy also said Defender already shows its versatility in tough roles for emergency organisations around the world such as border force, mountain rescue, police and fire.
Four Wolfs will be shown at the British Army DVD event in a couple of weeks, including a tactical mobility vehicle, a general mobility vehicle, an ambulance and a utility vehicle. That display gives the MOD and other defence users a close look at the range Land Rover wants them to assess before the tender decision arrives. Will the MOD favor the Defender Wolf Series II or a competing vehicle in the tender?
